RIYADH — Mayor of Riyadh Region Prince Faisal Bin Abdul Aziz Bin Ayyaf has instructed compounds and commercial centers to plant trees in their parking areas. The move is aimed at increasing green areas in the city in line with the goals of the Kingdom's Vision 2030 and National Transformation Programs. The Riyadh Mayoralty said that the new regulation for planting trees in parking lots will be issued within two weeks. "There should be an emphasis on the plantation of the trees that provide wide-spreading canopies, consume minimum water and are suitable to climatic conditions of the capital," it said in a statement. The mayoralty emphasized that the private sector is a strategic partner in implementing the qualitative initiatives aimed at improving the quality of life and services provided to the residents of the city. It is noteworthy that a massive plan has been initiated under which Riyadh will go absolute green with planting of 7.5 million trees in the coming years to rank the Saudi capital city among the top 100 cities of the world. Custodian of the two Holy Mosques King Salman launched last year "Green Riyadh" project as a part of four grand projects chaired by Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman. The Green Riyadh project will contribute to increasing the per capita share of green space, and raise total green spaces through planting trees around all city facilities as well as in all its governorates. The Green Riyadh initiative will lead to improved air quality and reduced temperatures in the city, which makes healthy lifestyle for the Riyadh residents. Meanwhile, a national afforestation campaign was launched last October with the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture's tree-planting campaign. As many as 50,000 trees were planted in Thadiq National Recreation Park in Riyadh region as part of the campaign, in which citizens, expatriates, visitors as well as the public and private sectors and schools took part.
